Page 21 of Betrayed in the Dark
Thanks to my brothers, I’ve been trained on how to handle situations like this. However, being trained in a simulated scenario versus participating in a real-life scenario are two completely different things.
A man stands with his back to me as he straightens, adjusting a bag over his shoulder. A dusting of snow begins to cover his shoulders, his body covered in a dark winter coat, most likely hiding his actual size.
Fuck, he’s a big guy.
But I can handle him.
I’m a goddamn Alarie.
Adrenaline courses through me as I open the door and aim with both hands. “I will kill you if you take one step toward—”
All the words die on my tongue as the man turns to face me.
Dropping my gun onto the side table, I step outside, my body humming to life for the first time in months. My bare feet barely register the cold as his eyes land on me, a fire within them scorching a path across my skin.
“Eli,” I breathe.
The corners of his lips curve up. “Princess.”
The blanket falls from my shoulders as my body moves of its own accord, rushing toward him with a burning need like I’ve never experienced before.
He’s here. For me.
He meets me in the middle, dropping his bag and lifting me into the air as I leap for him. My thighs wrap tightly around his torso while my arms cling to his neck, tugging him closer.
His lips connect with mine, his invigorating taste awakening every part of me. Every fragment of my goddamn soul.
This isn’t a gentle kiss.
It’s not slow or soft.
It’s urgent and volatile.
Hungry and desperate.
It says everything we haven’t been able to tell each other while apart.
I’ve missed you.
You’re all I’ve thought about.
I love you.
My fingers slide up the back of his neck, gripping the ends of his hair. Reluctantly, I pull away to get some much-needed air and bury my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. “This doesn’t feel real.” I dig my fingers into his shoulders, my chest heaving as I pull back to look at him, our eyes locking. “Is this real?”
He grins and sweeps his nose against mine. “It’s real.”
“What are you doing here? I didn’t think I’d see you until after the New Year.”
“In your last letter, you said you needed me, so I’m here, love. I’ll always be here when you need me.” He softly brushes his lips over mine. “I have three days of leave before my next deployment, and there was only one person I wanted to spend them with.”
I bite my bottom lip as heat creeps up my neck. “Me?”
He presses a kiss to my temple. “You, Princess.” His hand cradles my cheek, his thumb gently stroking my skin. The warmth of his minty breath dances across my face, his lips only inches from mine.
“Then what are we standing out here for?” I brush my lips over his ear. “Take me to bed.”
He doesn’t hesitate as he strides through my front door, his arms securing me to his body. Our lips find each other as he kicks the door shut behind us and walks through my house, knowing every part of it like it were his own, never breaking the kiss as we ascend the stairs.
